


A Gift Gotten

by SnailSnoo (fuzzyfire123)



Series: The Pretty Okay Team of Morally Dubious Intent [2]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Original Work
Genre: Bad Decisions, Bad Parenting, Bisexual Male Character, Broken Promises, Character Study, Crushes, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Teenage Rebellion, Teenagers, Theft, antics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 00:24:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9691337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzzyfire123/pseuds/SnailSnoo
Summary: It is almost lovers' day in Orthis, and Griffith knows just the right thing to get for just the right person. It might include a bit of stealing, but is that really a problem?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Beware_The_Ravenstag](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beware_The_Ravenstag/gifts).



> Hello there!  
> This is a fic I wrote for a friend who is a part of my dungeons and dragons campaign!  
> Note: Most of my world is homebrew so these are my own realms.

“Griffith, can you please come back to your studies?” a voice calls into an empty room. The room has been empty as of the last godawful lesson on the history of the northern ports of Orthis. As soon as his tutor started on that crap, Griffith high tailed it out of that mansion. 

One thing that Griffith cannot stand is being forced into boring situations because life is about having fun, right? Especially for teenagers like Griffith, but life is unexpectedly hard, being the heir to a noble merchant guild is not a path that Griffith would wish on even his worst enemy.

The worst part about it is there is no free time, not unless you make some for yourself.

It’s become almost a daily routine. His parents and tutors will try to force him into some boring class, and Griffith will escape right out the window. All Griffith has to do to make sure this can keep happening is close his window behind him before dashing off into the streets of Orthis.

Orthis is a giant city, not as big as the capital Emar, but big still. On the cliffs that overlook the greater expanse of the shore, his family and the nobles under them hold land and build their ornate mansions, where below them they line the sides of the cliffs with ports that hold the grand trading ships of all the noble merchants.

Running as far as he can from the mansion dusted cliffs, he runs down the sandstone ways of his city. The loud sounds of trade and celebration get closer and closer the farther he travels from his accursed home. With the shore always on his right, he soon reaches the centre of the life of his city.

All manner of humans, dwarves, elves, and many other races rush along the crowded and lively streets. The scent of salt water rests lightly through the city and the cheers of merchants and fishermen can be heard all around. When walking the streets, it’s impossible to go without being jostled by people pushing their wares. Everything is bright and colorful, blue and gold mosaics covering as many sandstone walls as the artisans can manage. The air is light and warm but a cool salt breeze flies in from the ocean every now and then.

The city is truly alive today, as tomorrow marks the first day of the city’s patron goddess Arryn’s lock, Love’s Morning.

On the day of Love’s Morning, in Orthis it is customary to bestow gifts upon those you truly care for, whether it be friend, love, or a foe you have a very strange relation with. They say the gifts can be anything, but Griffith knows that the true gift you should give on Love’s Morning, is some sort of fancy jewelry.

And this year Griffith has someone he wants to impress, and he knows just the item.

Griffith slows to a stop as he spots one of his partners in crime. Lucky for Griffith, Aislin stood picking at her nails and watching the hustle and bustle as if she had nothing really to do.

“Aislin!” Griffith called out to the bored young woman.

Her head whips around to look at him and she smirks, “Griffith you glorious whore! I’m guessing you snuck out. What sort of useless shit were they trying to teach you today?”

“Port politics, Aislin. It’s always port politics,” Griffith sighs dramatically with a flamboyant waving of his arms.

She laughs good naturedly before pinning her short black hair back, the way she always does when she means business. Aislin strides over to Griffith and looks around inconspicuously.

“What are you getting him, you know for Love’s Morning?” She asks with an average voice level.

Griffith smirks, “A turquoise amulet on golden chain with some lovely pearl embellishments.”

“Do we have to steal it?” She now whispers, raising an eyebrow at him.

“It makes it even more special that way,” Griffith grins at her, resting his hands on his hips in a confident stance.

Aislin breaks into a wide smirk, “I was hoping you’d say that.”

* * *

 

The next few hours found the two in front of the Helmhark’s mansion in their fanciest garments that they kept stowed away with their usual hangout.

One of the guards patrolling spotted the two human teenagers and hurried over, “No one is permitted upon the property, that would land you a charge of trespassing.”

Griffith gives his practiced noble boy smile, “Do not worry sir, I am the heir of the High Merchant on a social call to Lady Dian Helmhark. You may know of me as Sir Griffith. This is my companion, Aislin of the Trudant family”

Griffith could see the guard’s brow sweat under his faceplate, “My apologiess Sir! Come right this way.”

Aislin grins after the guard turns around to lead them to the doorway to the mansion and leans over to whisper, “Whoa, Griffith. That worked far better than I thought, guess we’re lucky your a snobbish ponce.”

“It’s always best to keep a grain of truth in your lie,” Griffith mumbles back with a matching grin. “Now it's time for you to do your thing.”

The guard signals to a doorguard to open the door, letting the two companions enter the gaudily decorated foyer. Statues and painting of the Lady and Lord of Helmhark and their children littered the foyer, and Griffith knew from past experience that they clogged up the rest of the mansion as well.

The guard traded off with one of the maids of the household who then gestured for the two teenagers to sit on the plush velvet ottomans in the foyer. The two sat regally keeping one ankle crossed over the other.

After waiting for a few minutes another maid, one dressed more ornately than the last, announced to them that they shall come into the sitting room.

The two followed dutifully into the large expanse. The room was strewn with art and gaudy embellishments topped with a grand piano located within the centre. The Lady was not in the room yet, so Griffith cheekily indulged in a quick play of the piano, a simple jaunty tune.

“Of course you can play piano,” Aislin chuckles as she smoothes out her nobly styled dress before resting her hands by her sides.

“Aislin, there is not instrument I cannot play,” Griffith boasts before playing a quicker song with a flourish. “It’s the one good thing those imbecilic classes taught me.”

After he finishes a verse with another flourish, the two hear gentle clapping coming from the height of the grand staircase. When they look up, they see a luxuriously dressed human woman with salt and pepper hair tied up and a neat braided bun, but the thing that both their gazes rest upon is the exact amulet that Griffith described, fastened around the Lady Dian Helmhark’s neck.

Aislin quickly shares an ‘oh shit’ look with Griffith, who is already scrambling inwardly trying to find a way to salvage their original plan. Aislin then grits her teeth for a moment before striding over to him confidently.

She leans in and very quietly whispers, “You unfasten it in a hug, I’ll take it off when I kiss both cheeks. Go do your talk thing, you whore.”

Griffith nods and then puts on his rehearsed dazzling smile, “My Lady! Such a pleasure to see you!”

The Lady Dian reaches the bottom of the staircase letting down her dress now that she was on the smooth ground of the sitting room and greets them with a lilting Orthian accent, “Good greetings, Sir Griffith and his dear lady companion.”

Griffith strides confidently over and asking about the lady’s day as he spreads his arms wide with a flourish and goes to hug the Lady. When he throws his hands around her neck, she pats his back awkwardly.

Thankfully, Griffith knew how to use his hands quite deftly, and in many ways. He was able to gently and quickly unfasten the amulet which still laid precariously around the Lady’s neck even after he pulled his hands away.

As he steps back he smiles as the Lady again and gestures over to Aislin, “My dear lady, forgive my brutish manners for I never properly introduced you. This is Madam Aislin, a bosom buddy of sorts.”

Aislin shot him a smirk before moving forward and lightly resting her hands on each side of the older woman’s neck and kissing the air above each of the woman’s cheeks. Aislin then drew back as the Lady began talking again.

“‘Tis good to make your acquaintance Madam Aislin,” The Lady Dian said taking the younger woman’s right hand with both of hers. “You must agree that Sir Griffith has definitely grown since his younger days.”

“Indeed I have, Lady Dian,” Griffith smiled in response before looking to Aislin and gesturing to one of the seats that take up the sitting room. “Would you like to rest your legs for our conversation, my Lady?”

“Only if you shall too, good sir,” Aislin played a rehearsed smile across her lips before gathering her dress up so it might be smooth when she sat.

Soon, all three were sat, and Griffith eloquently spewed a bullshit story for why the two of them had dropped by the Lady’s house. Honestly Griffith couldn’t remember what he had said as the two teenagers finally got up to leave since the adrenaline was still drowning his system.

As soon as they reached a few streets away from the mansion and the two turned a corner so they couldn’t be seen, they both collapsed in relief.

“Thank the gods she didn’t notice that!” Aislin exclaims rubbing her temples to offset a future headache.

“Did you get the necklace?” Griffith shakes her shoulder lightly, a bit frantic.

Aislin scoffs before holding out her right hand, “Of course I did you foppish ponce. Here you go.”

As Aislin’s delicate fingers parted from a fist, within her hands rested the amulet, glittering in the afternoon sun. It was even more spectacular up close, and Griffith couldn't help imagining what the object of his affections would look like wearing such an item. Griffith took it gently from her hands and clasped it around his own neck and then lifted his shirt layers up so the amulet would fall, hidden under his clothes.

Aislin then got up and dusted off the dress, “Well! I’m leaving, and you should too.”

“Farewell friend,” Griffith calls out after her as she strides confidently away.

* * *

 

The next day Griffith wakes up and hurries to get dressed in the clothes he knows makes him look even more dashing than usual. Immediately after dressing, he bolts out the door to his room and runs down the grand stairs of his home, then out one of the side doors to reach the stables.

Upon reaching the stables he slows to a confident swagger and pushes aside one of the doors. He walks a few paces into the building, where the scent of animals is almost oppressive, but he knows this is where the half-elf wishes to spend his time.

Holding the amulet in one hand, above his heart, Griffith calls out, “Theo! Where are you! I have something for you.”

The old human man who leads the care of the stables calls out to Griffith gruffly from behind one of the horses, “Theo cleared out last night, kid.”

Griffith freezes up, dread dropping in his stomach like lead, “Do you know why?”

The old man keeps shoveling up hay and horseshit and grumbling all the while, but then he pauses for a second, perhaps registering the waver in Griffith’s voice.

“The Mistress of the House came down here and told him to pack up, something about how he was distracting her son from his duties or something. Pity, Theo talked about the son, they were a right pair,” The man admonishes before glancing at Griffith’s face. “Oh wait, you are that son! He told me to tell you goodbye, and that he wished he could stay. He said more sappy shite, but I don’t remember it.”

Griffith smiles weakly at the man in thanks, and then breathed deeply and turned back to return to his room.

He fastens the necklace around two of his belt loops, and then leaves the stables, feeling heavier than ever before.

**Author's Note:**

> Griffith does his best guys.  
> Thank you for reading! Constructive criticism is appreciated.  
> Remember kudos and comments feed the beast! c:  
> Credit to: Wizards of the Coast for Dungeons and Dragons


End file.
